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it does depend on the cuts. short ribs or other cuts with large % of connective tissue call for longer cooking times. But your classic sear and serve cuts like filet and ribeye have no business cooking for 48 hours. Yes, it yields a soft steak, but what has happened is a larger % of the mayo globin (what people who don't know refer to as juices or blood) has been forced out which gives you a drier steak. Dry steaks are bad. take 2 ribeye, sear it 30 seconds on each side,twice, then allow it to cool thoroughly. bag separately and cook one at 56c to internal temp of 54 (time depends on size of Cut). cook the other for your 48 hrs. allow both the proper 3 step cooling methods. Afterwards, remove both steaks from there pouches, and then measure the liquids of both to contrast/ compare. You'll see that the 48 has Lost more juicy goodness. that's Not good. sure, you'll have a softer (read softer, NOT more tender) cut of steak after 48hrs. If you're very old and have concern for your denchers, than softer is Always better.
Again, longer sous vide times are meant for "tougher" cuts of meat, ones that you wouldn't grill to mr and serve. This it's why I believe that if a cook can't ace classic braising, than he/she has no business with sous vide.

As for meat temps, I'll pass the gift of the butter knife down to you:

My first ever grill job was at a Ponderossa steak house. I doubt many even knows what this is, but that's not important.
It was during the holidays, and the place was in a mall parking lot, which means open to close constant ass whooping
I explained to the manager (yep, manager, not chef) that I didn't know my temps, but could make some mean grill marks. He handed me a round tip butter knife and said "let the steak rest a minute, then press this knife on the surface. watch for the juices coming out. red= rare, brown= medium, clear= well." Sounded easy enough. It was not. But I quickly got the hang of it. cooking hundreds of steaks all night didn't give me much of an option. And it was especially embarrassing having the attractive waitresses keep coming back telling me I under/over cooked yet another steak. (just made THAT other task all the more difficult...)

it does depend on the cuts. short ribs or other cuts with large % of connective tissue call for longer cooking times. But your classic sear and serve cuts like filet and ribeye have no business cooking for 48 hours. Yes, it yields a soft steak, but what has happened is a larger % of the mayo globin (what people who don't know refer to as juices or blood) has been forced out which gives you a drier steak. Dry steaks are bad. take 2 ribeye, sear it 30 seconds on each side,twice, then allow it to cool thoroughly. bag separately and cook one at 56c to internal temp of 54 (time depends on size of Cut). cook the other for your 48 hrs. allow both the proper 3 step cooling methods. Afterwards, remove both steaks from there pouches, and then measure the liquids of both to contrast/ compare. You'll see that the 48 has Lost more juicy goodness. that's Not good. sure, you'll have a softer (read softer, NOT more tender) cut of steak after 48hrs. If you're very old and have concern for your denchers, than softer is Always better.
Again, longer sous vide times are meant for "tougher" cuts of meat, ones that you wouldn't grill to mr and serve. This it's why I believe that if a cook can't ace classic braising, than he/she has no business with sous vide.

Truth is you just kind of know. I've been griling at home since I was about 10. Is was tasked with starting the grill and the meat before my dad got home from work. I double check myself at work with a thermapen. My eyeball gets it right most of the time.

On a side note, at work they are switching us over to frozen burgers. Kid told me they suck because you can't cook them medium rare or medium onky well done. I said BS and promptly cooked him one medium rare. Pulled out my thermometer to prove it. How'd you do that he said. I've only been doing it for 30 years.

One point, most people i have seen pull the meat too late. You're going to have some carry over cooking if you let it rest. So to have a steak go out medium you have to pull it closer to medium rare to have it finish medium.

I use cake testers to double check lots of things. When it's very busy and a cook gets in a hurry there is a great temptation to say "it's done, put it in the damn pass". The cake tester removes the doubt. If it confirms that you cooked it properly, great, it not you just saved yourself the time and disruption of refiring it.

I think poking with a finger is the best, though it can vary somewhat depending on the tenderness of the cut. I have seen the method of gently touching a fingertip to thumbtip, then pressing the fleshy part at the base of the thumb. Index to thumb gives you approximate rare temp; pinky to thumb is well done. Not scientific, but it gives an idea.

A thermometer is the most sure method, can can help as you learn.

If you try to standardize the process by using the same heat source and settings, you'll start to get a pretty good idea based on time and outside appearance in addition to texture.

it does depend on the cuts. short ribs or other cuts with large % of connective tissue call for longer cooking times. But your classic sear and serve cuts like filet and ribeye have no business cooking for 48 hours. Yes, it yields a soft steak, but what has happened is a larger % of the mayo globin (what people who don't know refer to as juices or blood) has been forced out which gives you a drier steak. Dry steaks are bad. take 2 ribeye, sear it 30 seconds on each side,twice, then allow it to cool thoroughly. bag separately and cook one at 56c to internal temp of 54 (time depends on size of Cut). cook the other for your 48 hrs. allow both the proper 3 step cooling methods. Afterwards, remove both steaks from there pouches, and then measure the liquids of both to contrast/ compare. You'll see that the 48 has Lost more juicy goodness. that's Not good. sure, you'll have a softer (read softer, NOT more tender) cut of steak after 48hrs. If you're very old and have concern for your denchers, than softer is Always better.
Again, longer sous vide times are meant for "tougher" cuts of meat, ones that you wouldn't grill to mr and serve. This it's why I believe that if a cook can't ace classic braising, than he/she has no business with sous vide.

As for meat temps, I'll pass the gift of the butter knife down to you:

My first ever grill job was at a Ponderossa steak house. I doubt many even knows what this is, but that's not important.
It was during the holidays, and the place was in a mall parking lot, which means open to close constant ass whooping
I explained to the manager (yep, manager, not chef) that I didn't know my temps, but could make some mean grill marks. He handed me a round tip butter knife and said "let the steak rest a minute, then press this knife on the surface. watch for the juices coming out. red= rare, brown= medium, clear= well." Sounded easy enough. It was not. But I quickly got the hang of it. cooking hundreds of steaks all night didn't give me much of an option. And it was especially embarrassing having the attractive waitresses keep coming back telling me I under/over cooked yet another steak. (just made THAT other task all the more difficult...)

Are you kidding? When I was a kid every Tuesday night my friend. I believe that was the cheap night.

I remember the ol' Ponderosa steak houses well. When I was a kid, we'd go there with the family. Used to be always free standing units, but I remember they seemed to all end up in the malls as I got a bit older. Haven't seen one in years. Are there any still around???

For temping, I just know. Experience and my senses tell me what I need to know. When in doubt, a therm is a great tool if you're firing just a couple steaks, but if you've got a bunch going, you need to be able to do it without messing around with an extra tool.

[QUOTE=Miles;189999]I remember the ol' Ponderosa steak houses well. When I was a kid, we'd go there with the family. Used to be always free standing units, but I remember they seemed to all end up in the malls as I got a bit older. Haven't seen one in years. Are there any still around???

They even had a franchise in Singapore long long time ago.
I remember as i t with teh Cowboy/ western TV series with the big Guys Hoss Cartright character on Ponderosa Ranch.

using a thermometer, cook 4 same thickness steaks to each temperature. R, MR, M, MW. let it sit 2 minutes, then press each one of them with your index and middle finger tips. and repeat until you get a good sense of the firmness of each steak. the medium one should feel nearly identical to the feedback you get when pressing on the meaty part of the palm of your hand.